Jesus Hooligan started out when Steve the singer out of the hardcore punk band Gout/Lager Louts became ill with throat problems and had to stop singing live. During that time Steve started making his own music from sounds he liked, tractors, angle grinders, drills and anything you can hit like barrells, buckets, scaffold tubes and diesel tanks. He went under the name Jesus Hooligan, a play on words from two bands he'd been involved with, 1.Godshatter = Jesus, 2.The Lager Louts = Hooligan.

When Steve's voice improved, he set about starting up a live band, turning his music, recordings and written material into songs that can be performed live. He was joined by guitarist Jason Sanders from the punk band drink problem and then a short while later by didgeridoo player Dave Croughan, which made the live line up a bunch of old boys hitting things and making a racket with barrels, guitars, digeridoos, chains, gas cannisters plus anything else they liked the sound of. The end result was a mix of hoe down punk crossed with industrial folk blues that shouldn't work but somehow does.

Since then Jesus Hooligan have added more and more people to the band, including four extra Barrell Bashers (Adam Smith, Carol Walker, Lester Rouge and Paul Geddes), a drummer (Arup) and Rick Pistol on Darbuka. As a result of this, and their fun, energetic live performances, Jesus Hooligan continue to go from strength to strength.